Photo credit: Melissa Mayes (https://www.pexels.com/photo/glowing-image-of-a-moon-eclipse-6707255/)

By AJ Balinski, with Margot Accettura

Today, April 8, a full solar eclipse will pass over North America, giving residents in Mexico, the United States, and Canada a chance to view a full eclipse for the first time in seven years. It’s expected to last a total of four minutes and 27 seconds, which is nearly double the length of the ‘The Great American Eclipse’ that occurred on Aug. 21, 2017, and was also the first total eclipse in almost a century. Now, a mere 7 years later, eclipse fans have had a short wait, but their anticipation continues to grow.

When the moon passes between the Sun and Earth at just the right time, an eclipse occurs. This can only occur during a new moon. When this happens, the Sun is completely blocked, and it appears as if its dawn or dusk. The Sun is “eclipsed” by the moon’s shadow.

So why are eclipses important anyways? Scientists use eclipses to make important discoveries, such as the detection of helium and studying the Sun’s structure. Today, scientists are concerned with researching the innermost part of the corona of the Sun, a part which can only be viewed during solar eclipses. This data helps scientists produce predictions of “space weather,” or tracking objects as they move away from the Sun.

If you can’t make it outside to see this solar event, this will be the last one seen in the US until 2045. But, if you’re lucky enough to catch a glimpse this April, make sure to take the proper precautions to avoid eye damage. Don’t forget to wear certified eclipse glasses and be careful not to even look through a lens if trying to snap a few shots.

Check out NASA’s website to take a look at the eclipse map and for extra tips on how to prepare.

To learn more about solar eclipses and astronomy, dig deeper into the resources below. And stop by Falvey’s fantastic eclipse event 1-3 p.m.!

Find it at Falvey:

• America’s First Eclipse Chasers by Thomas A. Hockey
• “All Eyes on the Sun,” Science News by James R. Riordon
• The Sneaky Force Behind Our Sun’s Violent Outbursts by Paul M. Sutter
• A History of SOLAR ECLIPSES by Michael Bakich
• Demonstration of How Solar and Lunar Eclipses Occur
• Here to Help; How to Safely View a Solar Eclipse by Elissa Sanci
• Making the Most of the Upcoming SOLAR ECLIPSE DOUBLE-HEADER OCTOBER 14, 2023, and APRIL 8, 2024 by Andrew Fraknoi and Dennis Schatz
• The Astronomical Event OF THE DECADE: A solar eclipse double-header in 2023 and 2024 offers the perfect experience to excite early learners.
• 1,000 Years of Solar Eclipses by Mark Fischetti
• Eclipse of the Century, How Animals React to a Solar Eclipse

AJ Balinski ’26 CLAS is a Communication major from Gibraltar, Michigan. She works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant at Falvey Library.

 Margot Accettura, MLS, is the STEM Librarian at Falvey Library.

By Darren Poley

Image of Cristianna Dell’Anna, as Mother Cabrini in the film “Cabrini,” Angel Studios, 2024 (https://www.angel.com/movies/cabrini)

There is a new movie about Mother Cabrini. In her review of it in the Black Catholic Messenger, Samantha Smith wrote, “The film highlights Cabrini’s resilience, which is truly inspiring even centuries after her death.” John Anderson said in America: The Jesuit Review, “The sad fact is, many films with a fervent religious message stress the message and fail to be good movies; ‘Cabrini,’ while certainly a hagiography, is dramatically and cinematically sound and even, now and then, visually breathtaking.” Joseph Pronechen points out in his article in the National Catholic Register, “Overall, the film focuses on Mother Cabrini’s entrepreneurial skills more than her prayer life.”

So, who then exactly is Mother Cabrini?

Frances Cabrini, born in Italy in 1850, went on to be the first U.S. citizen to be canonized by the Catholic Church and declared a saint. Having attended a convent school, she dedicated herself to Christ at a very young age and studied to be a teacher. Her initial petition to join a religious community was denied because of her frail health. Her devotion to charitable works and service to the poor did not go unnoticed, however.

After teaching for several years, she eventually was appointed to be the supervisor of an orphanage for girls. Cabrini eventually professed religious vows in 1877 and took the name Xavier in honor of St. Francis Xavier. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which established orphanages and schools throughout Italy. It became a religious order and officially recognized by the Vatican in 1888.

Praised publicly for her work by Pope Leo XIII, in 1889 he sent Mother Cabrini, as she was then known, to the United States to work with Italian immigrants. During the 1880s and ’90s when there was an enormous influx of Italians to the U.S. Mother Cabrini established an orphanage, a hospital, and countless parish schools. She became an American citizen in 1909 and was widely known for her benevolence.

In her lifetime she established 67 charitable institutions throughout the world. Mother Cabrini died in 1917 after which more than 100,000 miracles occurred, which were attributed to her intercession. Her sainthood was recognized by the Vatican in 1946. The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are still active in 15 countries globally.

Books in Falvey for digging deeper into the life of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini:

Too Small a World: The Life of Francesca Cabrini

Francesca Cabrini: Without Staff or Scrip

Immigrant Saint: The Life of Mother Cabrini

Mother Cabrini, Italian Immigrant of the Century

See also:

American Catholics: A History

An Unlikely Union: The Love-Hate Story of New York’s Irish and Italians

Catholics in New York: Society, Culture, and Politics, 1808-1946

Profiles of Italian Americans: Achieving the Dream and Giving Back

These Splendid Sisters

Darren G. Poley is Associate Director of Research Services and Scholarly Engagement, and Theology, Humanities & Classical Studies Librarian at Falvey Library.

By Abby Stinson

Today, Feb. 21, marks International Mother Language Day, a commemoration established by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to honor the linguistic diversity that enriches our world. Sadly, 40 percent of the world’s population lacks access to education in their “mother language,” or native tongue, leading to the loss of a language every two weeks and erasing valuable aspects of history and culture.  

This initiative, inaugurated in 1999 in Bangladesh, aims to “promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world,” according to the UN. The 2024 theme, “Multilingual education: a necessity to transform education,” underscores the significance of incorporation indigenous languages into education systems. To further this goal, the UN is convening an online panel event featuring experts in multilingual education from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. They also have named 2022-2032 as the “International Decade of Indigenous Languages”, ensuring an opportunity to collaborate and stimulate global change in this department.  

The preservation of languages is paramount for maintaining identity, facilitating communication, fostering social integration, promoting education, and driving development. For more information, read here: International Mother Language Day | United Nations.

Dig deeper and explore the resources below.

• Mother Language Day and its significance:
  • Why mother language-based education is essential | UNESCO
  • Indigenous Languages Decade (2022-2032) | UNESCO
• Mother Language Day applications throughout the world:
  • Young Scholars students continue tradition of celebrating International Mother Language Day (msn.com)
  • Mother Tongue Film Festival Opens at the National Museum of the American Indian On February 21st (yahoo.com)
  • International Mother Language Day: ‘I’ll take a wee bit of the Belfast accent with me when I return home’ | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
• Tips for continuing to teach mother languages to future generations:
  • How Can I Teach My Child To Speak My Native Language? (msn.com)
• Library resources:
  • The Origin of Language: Tracing the Evolution of the Mother Tongue
    • Holdings: The origin of language : :: Library Catalog Search (villanova.edu)
  • Mother Tongues: Non English-Language Poetry in England
    • Holdings: Mother tongues : :: Library Catalog Search (villanova.edu
• Online Language-Learning Website/App:
  • Mango

Abby Stinson ’26 VSB, is a Marketing and Business Analytics major and a student worker at Falvey Library.

PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz.

Color Culture 

The 2024 Pantone Color of the Year is Peach Fuzz (PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz to be exact!) The Pantone Color System provides a “universal language of color” to help individuals “define, communicate and control color from inspiration to realization – across various materials and finishes for graphics, fashion and product design.” Since 1999, Pantone selects a color to feature each year in the hopes of showcasing “the fundamental role color plays in our shared human experience.” Team members of the Pantone Color Institute choose the winning color after a year-long selection process. Check out this interview with Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, for more information on the Pantone Color of the Year selection process.

PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz

Kindness and comfort are two prominently featured words associated with the 2024 Pantone Color of the Year. Peace is another word that embodies the winning color selection. “PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz is a velvety gentle peach whose all-embracing spirit enriches heart, mind, and body… At a time of turmoil in many aspects of our lives, our need for nurturing, empathy and compassion grows ever stronger as does our imaginings of a more peaceful future.” Check out all the ways you can use the color of the year on Pantone’s website.

Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches, Peaches People

Peach is Falvey’s unofficial color of the year as the library hosted many stress-busting events that featured numerous characters from Nintendo’s Mario franchise including Princess Peach. Giving a subtle shoutout to the pink-loving ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, we had to gave away candy peach rings. To continue the celebration of all things peach, stop by the library’s first floor to grab a free package of peach rings.

Still feeling peachy keen? Dig deeper and explore the resources below:

• Peach: Botany, Production and Uses (Bassi & Layne, 2008)
• Peach Culture (Fulton, 1870)
• Peaches and Nectarines (2010)
• Apricots and Peaches: Nutritional Properties, Post-harvest Management and Potential Health Benefits (Hansen, 2016)
• Peaches: A Celebration of America’s Sweetest Season (DeMers, 2012)

The actual fruit may not be the main subject of these resources but they’re a peach!

• The Peach Seed (Yazzie, 2008)
• Peach State (Su, 2021)
• The Peach’s Son (Nolan, 2016)
• Peach blossom spring: Gardens and flowers in Chinese paintings (Barnhart, 1983)
• Graveyard Peaches: A California Memoir (De Blasis, 1991)

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.

By Shawn Proctor

Rosalynn Carter and Betty Ford at National Women’s Conference in support of ERA in November 1977. Credit: The Carter Center

Rosalynn Carter, who became a leading mental health advocate after serving as First Lady, died Nov. 19.

The Carter Center, founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, to advance peace and health worldwide released a statement upon her death.

“For more than 50 years, Mrs. Carter was a tireless advocate for those living with mental illnesses, supporting practical measures and policy reforms to create parity for mental illnesses with physical illnesses in Georgia, the United States, and the rest of the world. She taught generations of journalists how to report about behavioral health in a way that reduces stigma and stimulates understanding and equitable treatment. She also advocated for caregivers, for acceptance of life-saving vaccinations for children and adults, for the elderly, for humane end of life, and even for the survival of the delicate and beautiful monarch butterfly.”

“Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” President Carter said via statement. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”

Learn more about Rosalynn Carter, in her own words and through others, by exploring the resources below. Furthermore, discover how she fits into the timeline of First Ladies and addressed the pressing crises of the era.

• Academic Video Online, et al. Great Romances of the 20th Century. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 1999.
• Carter, Rosalynn. First Lady from Plains. Houghton Mifflin, 1984.
• Carter, Rosalynn, et al. Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book for Caregivers. Revised edition. The University of Arkansas Press, 2023.
• Godbold, E. Stanly, Jr. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: Power and Human Rights, 1975-2020. Oxford University Press, 2022.
• Godbold, E. Stanly. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: The Georgia Years, 1924-1974. Oxford University Press, 2010.
• Kaufman, Scott. Rosalynn Carter: Equal Partner in the White House. University Press of Kansas, 2007.
• Mayo, Edith. The Smithsonian Book of the First Ladies: Their Lives, Times, and Issues. H. Holt, 1996.

Video: First Lady of Mental Health

Shawn Proctor, MFA, is Communication and Marketing Program Manager at Falvey Library.

Falvey Library’s Dig Deeper series explores topics of importance in our society and the news. It connects these subjects with resources available through the Library, so our faculty, students, and staff can explore and learn more, potentially sparking new research and scholarship.

The 74th annual National Book Awards Ceremony was held last week on Wednesday, Nov. 15. The National Book Awards are literary awards overseen by the National Book Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to “celebrate the best literature published in the United States, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in our culture.” The Awards are granted in five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. Winners receive $10,000 along with a bronze statute.

This year, the National Book Award for Nonfiction was given to Ned Blackhawk for his book The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History, which Falvey has digitally. This book is a reexamination of American history with Native Americans at the forefront. Blackhawk argues for the role Indigenous people played, and continued to play, in the development of democracy and the US as a nation. He showcases the strength and agency of Native communities in the face of violence and removal, and he outlines their ongoing efforts to regain autonomy.

Photo by Dan Renzetti

Ned Blackhawk is a historian from the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada. He is the Howard R. Lamar Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University. He graduated from McGill University and received graduate degrees in History from the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Washington. In addition to The Rediscovery of America, Blackhawk also wrote Violence over the Land: Indians and Empires in the early American West (also available for checkout at the Library), which studies the Great Basin tribes during the fight for the American West. His articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications such as The New York Times Book Review, American Quarterly, Reviews in American History, The American Historical Review, Ethnohistory, and The American Indian Culture and Research Journal.

Rebecca Amrick is a first year graduate student in the English Department and a Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

Falvey Memorial Library’s Dig Deeper series explores topics of importance in our society and the news. It connects these subjects with resources available through the Library, so our faculty, students, and staff can explore and learn more, potentially sparking new research and scholarship.

Photo by Mikolaj on Unsplash.com

Banned Books Week runs this year from Oct. 1-Oct. 7. Started in 1982, this week was organized in response to a sudden surge in the amount of books challenged in libraries, bookstores, and schools. This annual event highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings together the entire book community—librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas.

This year’s theme is “Let Freedom Read.” In fact, the last day of Banned Books Week (Oct. 7) is Let Freedom Read Day, where people are challenged take at least one action to help defend books from censorship. This action can simply be checking out or buying a banned book or donating one to your local library. If you want to do something more active, you could reach out to library administrators, school board members, and elected officials to make your voice heard.

The American Library Association (ALA) rejects censorship, fights for everyone’s right to read, and works to ensure free and easy access to books and information. This organization also keeps track of requested book bans and commonly challenged books. In 2022, the ALA recorded an unprecedented number of 1,269 book ban demands.

Every year, the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the 10 Most Challenged Books. The most recent list contains the thirteen most challenged books of 2022 (thirteen because some books are tied). If you’re interested in reading banned or challenged books, the OIF has an archive of the Top Ten Most Challenged Book Lists, going back to 2001.

The books listed below are from “The Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022” that are available at Falvey or through Interlibrary Loan:

• All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• Flamer by Mike Curato
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
• This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

Rebecca Amrick is a first year graduate student in the English Department and a Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

Photo from Tom Hilton on WikiMedia Commons

In her 93 years, Dolores Huerta, organizer and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association (now United Farm Workers) with Cesar Chavez, made significant strides in fighting for the rights of farm workers, women, and Hispanic Americans.

Political activism and organizing were a part of Dolores Huerta’s life from an early age. It might seem that Huerta followed in her father’s footsteps, as he was a union organizer and briefly a New Mexico legislator. However, according to her biography page from the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Huerta credits her mother Alicia’s independent, hardworking character for sparking a similar determination in her.

Growing up in Stockton, Calif., a culturally and ethnically diverse agricultural city with a significant population of low-income farm workers, Huerta saw early-on the troubling conditions farm workers were subjected to, with which her mother empathized. Despite her position as a divorced mother of three in the ’30s and ’40s, Alicia was equal parts savvy businesswoman and caring community leader, making her hotel a safe haven for low-income farm workers.

According to the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Dolores was always an active student and community member, but her story as an organizer really begins with her work with the Stockton Community Service Organization (CSO), where she met her organizing partner Cesar Chavez. Bonding over their shared goal of unionizing farm workers, Huerta and Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), the first U.S. labor union for farm workers, in 1962.

Photo from Susan Ruggles on WikiMedia Commons

Coming out of a time where gender roles and expectations were especially unyielding, during her work for the NFWA, Huerta strategically used her position as a Latina and as a divorced mother to her advantage. In her examination of the rhetoric of Dolores Huerta, Sowards reports instances of Huerta strategical bringing her children to (and breastfeeding at) negotiations and using tears and emotion to disrupt and subvert expectations in male-dominated spaces.

Perhaps her most significant contribution is her coining of “Sí, se puede,” which translates to “yes, we can,” according to Godoy’s NPR article about Huerta. What we now know as a famous Hispanic activist chant originated from Huerta’s rhetorical ingenuity and understanding of the importance of audience participation.

Huerta’s organizing branched out to the burgeoning feminist movement, even working with notable feminists like Gloria Steinem. She brought these issues to her work in the farm worker’s movement, challenging gender discrimination within the movement and in society as a whole.

Throughout her career, Dolores Huerta has continued to fight for the rights of marginalized people, including working-class women and Hispanic and Latine people. She has worked with countless organizations and causes, including the NFWA, National Boycott of California Table Grapes, Feminist Majority’s Feminization of Power: 50/50 by the Year 2000 Campaign, and 21st Century Party, to name a few. Even at the age of 93, with the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she continues to serve the community and work in activist spaces.

A decorated activist, Huerta’s accomplishments, which are perhaps too extensive to list in their entirety, include being award the Eleanor Roosevelt Humans Rights Award in 1988 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom under Obama, a noted admirer, in 2012.

Despite their work together, Cesar Chavez’s name tends to outshine Huerta’s in the public’s recollection. Yet, for her tireless dedication to organizing for marginalized people, Dolores Huerta deserves to be remembered, especially during Hispanic Heritage Month, as the compassionate, dedicated  “Dragon Lady” she is.

Dig deeper and explore the links below for more on Dolores Huerta and her contributions.

Resources on Dolores Huerta at Falvey:

• Sowards article on Dolores Huerta’s rhetoric
• Dolores documentary
• Dolores Huerta: “Yes we can!” video from Untold: Hidden Figures
• Dolores Huerta: Advocate for Women and Workers
• Dolores Huerta: Voice for the Working Poor
• Dolores Huerta Stands Strong : The Woman Who Demanded Justice
• “The Blueprint: The Radical Solidarity of Dolores Huerta and Harry Belafonte” in Rebel Speak: A Justice Movement Mixtape
• Latina Legacies: Identity, Biography, and Community

Other resources on Huerta:

• “Dolores Huerta” biography page from the Dolores Huerta Foundation
• NPR article about Dolores Huerta and “Sí Se Puede”
• Dolores Huerta biography from the National Women’s History Museum
• Dolores Huerta’s TED Talk
• Good Morning America animated segment on Dolores Huerta
• ABC News Dolores Huerta interview segment

Annie Stockmal is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

Please join us for readings from three acclaimed Irish poets, Jane Clarke, Katie Donovan, and Catherine Phil MacCarthy on Monday, Sept. 25, from 5-6:30 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner. This event, titled “Wonders and Realities: Three Irish Poets on Sustainability,” will explore how poetry helps us fine-tune our senses and pay attention to the wonders and realities of our threatened world.

Dig deeper and explore the links below for more information on the featured poets.

Jane Clarke grew up in County Roscommon, Ireland. She is the author of three poetry collections: The River, When the Tree Falls, and A Change in the Air. The latter is shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection 2023. When the Tree Falls was shortlisted for the Pigott Prize 2020, the Irish Times Poetry Now Award 2020, and the Farmgate Café National Poetry Award in 2020.

• The River (Clarke, 2015)
• When the Tree Falls (2019)
• A Change in the Air (2023)
• Jane Clarke website
• Jane Clarke reads and introduces twelve poems from When the Tree Falls (Bloodaxe Books)
• Three poems by Jane Clarke (And Other Poems)
• Conversation with Jane Clarke (Rattle Poetry)
• Interview with poet Jane Clarke (Writing.ie)
• NYU DC Salon Series: A Conversation with Jane Clarke

Katie Donovan was born near Camolin in County Wexford, Ireland and earned degrees from Trinity College Dublin as well as the University of California at Berkeley. Her five books of poetry have all been published by Bloodaxe Books. Her most recent, Off-Duty appeared in September 2016. It was shortlisted for the Irish Times/Poetry Now Prize in 2017. She is the 2017 recipient of the O’Shaughnessy Award for Irish Poetry.

• Entering the Mare (Donovan, 1997)
• Watermelon Man (Donovan, 1999)
• Day of the Dead (Donovan, 2002)
• Rootling (Donovan, 2010)
• Off Duty (Donovan, 2016)
• Katie Donovan website
• Expert workshop: Katie Donovan and how family inspires creativity (Irish Family History Centre)
• Writer’s Block with Katie Donovan (The Gloss)
• Poems from Off Duty by Katie Donovan (Poethead by Chris Murray)
• In conversation with Katie Donovan (The Attic Sessions)
• Katie Donovan reads from Rootling (Bloodaxe Books)

Catherine Phil MacCarthy was born in County Limerick, Ireland. The author of five poetry collections, she studied at University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, and Central School of Speech and Drama, London. She is the 2014 winner of the O’Shaughnessy Award for Irish Poetry. The Arts Council, An Comhairle Ealaíon, have awarded her a Bursary in Literature towards each of her 2013 and 2020 poetry collections.

• How High the Moon (MacCarthy, 1991)
• This Hour of the Tide (MacCarthy, 1994)
• The Blue Globe (MacCarthy, 1998)
• One Room An Everywhere (MacCarthy, 2003)
• Suntrap (MacCarthy, 2007)
• The Invisible Threshold (MacCarthy, 2012)
• Daughters of the House (MacCarthy, 2019)
• Catherine Phil MacCarthy website
• “Limbo,” read by Catherine Phil MacCarthy (UCD Library Special Collections)
• Interview with Catherine Phil MacCarthy (Island’s Edge)

This ACS-approved event, co-sponsored by the Center for Irish Studies, Falvey Library, and Global Interdisciplinary Studies, is free and open to the public.

Julia Wagner ‘26 CLAS is a Communication major from New Hampshire (Go Patriots!). She works as a Communication & Marketing Student Assistant at Falvey Library. Links provided by Kallie Stahl, Communication & Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.